Tuesday, November 24, 2009
An apology for unintentionally
offending with pun
I am writing in regard to a gross mistake I have made by the use of one little word I have used. It is the use of the word "a" that allows the interpretation by the reader of the noun it describes.
Yes, the English language allows the meanings of words to hinge on a little, one-letter word.
Because of this error, I owe an apology to the whole community. I don't know how many people have been affected. I must ask their forgiveness and say, "I'm very sorry."
Please folks, this was an honest mistake and definitely not on purpose. I would never intentionally insult anyone. Also, whenever I make a mistake publicly, I apologize publicly. If it be in private, then I consider the impact that it makes on society. Even though this was done basically privately, I feel it should be made to the public.
What started out to be a pun, has ended in very gross and hurtful misunderstandings. Again, I say, "I am sorry."
I had access to some buckeyes and knowing that the Cincinnati Reds carry the buckeye for luck, I thought that making light of this use for good luck would make for fun.
Never once did I envision a repercussion I would get. However, the use of that one little word, "a," brought about a wide range of meanings, giving the noun following at least a triple meaning.
What I had done was to make like a greeting card that I thought would be funny and laughable. It said:
"Do you trust in God
to care for you?
or
Would you put your faith
in a nut?"
Then I would hand them a buckeye.
The people misunderstood and misconstrued the meaning of the word, "nut," only because I used the word, "a" instead of a more specific word, "this," little nut.
This then took on the meaning of anyone who didn't agree with you, among other meanings that were never to have been, according to the original meaning.
Yes, everyone. The little word "a" can cause you no problems or be a word that can build a mountain hard to impossible to climb. Let me nip this in the bud before it grows mountain high and I can't climb it. Let me say, "I'm sorry this ever happened and please, please forgive me."
Delores I. Thompson
St. Joseph
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Wright_Winger says...
Ms. Thompson...no need to apologize. A lot of people put their faith in a "little nut" only to realize too late it was nothing but a TelePrompter.
November 24, 2009 at 5:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalearch says...
I never thought of osamabama as "little"...his brain maybe.
November 24, 2009 at 6:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pops says...
Have we become so politically correct that one can't even make fun of a NUT???
Ms. Thompson, I got the joke...and the message. If others can't, maybe they're nuts!!!
November 24, 2009 at 6:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalearch says...
Obama meets with the Queen of England.
He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," says the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."
Obama frowns "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"
The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle."
The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please send
Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, my Queen?"
The Queen smiles. "Answer me this, please, Tony. Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"
Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me."
"Yes! Very good," says the Queen.
Obama goes back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice president, the same question.
"Joe. Answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?"
"I'm not sure," says Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one." He goes to his advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall.
Biden asks Powell, "Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"
Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!"
Biden smiles, and says, "Thanks!" Then, he goes back to speak with Obama.
"Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell."
Obama gets up, stomps over to Biden, and angrily yells into his face, "No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"
November 24, 2009 at 7:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_O says...
Without forgiveness there IS no Salvation !
November 24, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lbc says...
Lets have these guys come up with a solution to the health care crisis.........
November 24, 2009 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )